|
Hiyo Liquidizens,
Over the lifespan of Starcraft 2, there have been a lot of topics and discussion about the game outside the game - playing your best and self-improvement. This "guide" aims to share a few things I have personally learned as I ascended from the D ranks of ICCup three and a half years ago to a top streamer and player making money playing Starcraft. I was inspired to write this as I shared some of my advice with another 16 year old grandmaster player from local LANs (SolidPyre) and realized how much I actually know about how to make yourself perform in this game. This will be a bit unorganized, mostly just listing and detailing some things that I thought people might find interesting.
This post is a bit... unstructured and goes off in a lot of different directions. Please feel free to ask if you want me to elaborate on anything, or have questions about more specific situations!
Ladder Fear/Motivating Yourself to Play
One of the number one topics in recent times has been ladder fear. How do you get over that win-loss record, that league icon, that number of points that represents your "skill"? Even if this isn't your issue, you may be unintentionally avoiding the ladder, always finding excuses not to play or other things to do instead.
The first thing I would say to do is take pride in your abilities, just do your best and realize that everything will work out if you just relax. Never make excuses, no matter what - just PLAY. If you're ending the season with tons of bonus pool, just so you can extrapolate your rank and say "oh well if I DID play I would be..." you are doing something wrong. Always put your full effort into everything and don't be afraid to fail. Fear of failure and learning is something a lot of players suffer with. It is SO much easier and faster to just JUMP IN and start learning, rather than telling yourself "oh I'll just watch streams and play a few customs until I know what I'm doing, then I'll ladder!" Don't ever find an excuse to not play, just play until it becomes second nature.
Confidence and Slumps
Everyone has had those days where nothing seems to go right. You're messing up your build order, missing all your injects/warpins/timings, and every build you do seems to be countered by your opponent.
One common mistake I see in these situations is defeatism. The first step in continuing to improve is, as I said before, no fear of failure. You need to be confident in your abilities - you ARE a good player, you did deserve that rank and all those wins you got on your way up. Just play your best, go for wins however you can - if you need to pull out a cheesy strategy to keep your confidence up, go for it! It's all part of the game, and no matter what happens, you won because you outplayed your opponent in the game that you are provided. There's no omniscient god of skill that determines arbitrarily who the best player is - the best player is the one that wins most.
Another problem is the opposite extreme - convincing yourself that you're better than everyone you beat, and refusing to accept losses as your opponent playing better than you. This again ties into fear of failure, and both extremes are equally likely to cause a player to get frustrated and stop playing. You need to recognize that every win and every loss is valid, every game is won by the player who played better. Especially in Starcraft 2 where the game is constantly shifting and developing and there's no true standard, any way to win is a valid one within the confines of the battlefield. Get in the habit of being positive about your own play and the play of your opponents - after you lose a long macro game, instead of saying "wow, that's such bullshit, protoss is so imba in macro games imba colossi" etc etc, you should try to be positive about both your opponent's play and yours. "Wow, my opponent really protected his colossi well and made a good unit composition, what could I have done to beat that? My macro was a bit lacking but it's improving, and I should've used my vikings better" is much better. You will find yourself being much more friendly to yourself and other players if you just assume both players are playing WELL rather than one using imbalance/bullshit or yourself/your opponent just being terrible.
Getting out of slumps just requires you to be patient and relax. Recognize that you will always lose games and win games, and soon enough you'll be winning. If you're really getting frustrated in an unproductive way and you find yourself being really negative, just get off the computer, go work out, take a shower, run around, find something else to do for a while. Keeping a positive mindset about your own play and the game will make it SO much more motivating, fun, and rewarding for you to play and succeed.
The Mental Block
This more applies to higher level players, but it really can be incorporated anywhere. The mental block I'm talking about is the one where you've convinced yourself something CAN'T be done - whether it be you beating a certain player (fear of big names etc), dealing with a certain build or unit, convincing yourself that something is imbalanced, etc. You must always be positive about your own play, every problem has a solution, every build has a counter, every player has a weakness and can be beaten. Having a positive, open mindset is key to learning, and I see so many situations of high master/even pro players saying "damn, pro player X is so much better than me. there's nothing I can do to beat him." Never convince yourself that it can't be done or that you are incapable of doing something. Keep on fighting~!
How to Practice/Improve
As I said earlier, the number one key to getting better is to not find an excuse not to do it. Everything is an opportunity and a challenge, not an obstacle, and you can overcome anything if you put the work into it. I'm actually a bit different from many other top players in that I don't put all that much value on replay watching, especially your own replays. I think the best and most efficient way to improve is just PLAY. Play until you get stuck, until you find yourself getting upset, negative and demotivated. Not until that happens is it time to go back to the drawing board. You're here to have FUN, not to make this into mindless work. When you're having problems, look at your own replays and more importantly those of other players. Talk about the game with people, get new ideas, and try to incorporate them into your play. Find out how you learn best. For me, the best way to learn how to beat something or improve my play in a certain way was to lose to it a bunch of times. Someone could tell me that my build was going to auto-lose to a 6 gate allin, or that I need to wall off more against Zerg, or that my fast expand build was going to die to 3 gate pressure, but I would never fully learn it until I experienced it myself over and over - then it would be fixed and I'd lose to it a lot less. When I was suffering against drop play in TvT, I just played some games where I was SUPER attentive to drops - always checking the minimap, making extra turrets and vikings, sometimes to the point where it was unproductive - but I learned how to not just lose to drops. Find the holes in your play and do your best to focus on nothing else until it is fixed. It's a great feeling to focus on something for a few days, then go back to playing normally and realize you're doing a lot better than you were before.
HAVE FUN
My most important piece of advice for aspiring players that ties a lot of this together. The game becomes a lot easier if you're having fun, if you're excited to learn and take on the next new challenge, if you're looking forward to taking out that friend who you're never able to beat. If you're not having fun, don't force yourself to play - competitive, dedicated Starcraft is not for everyone, and maybe it's better to just screw around playing casually and watching streams. That's totally cool! Everyone has their place in the Starcraft world, and you'll be happier than ever if you find yours. After you're having fun, then you can focus more on the details and the tougher aspects of the game, but everything sure looks a lot easier if you're having fun with it.
This ended up being a bit general and went off in a lot of different directions. Not quite as useful/concise as I hoped it to be. Therefore, I leave this open to questions as well - with personal situations as well as general questions/topics you want me to discuss. I'll reply to as much as I can and use this information to improve the guide. I hope something was worthwhile, and please feel free to tell me if it's total trash and what you'd like to see instead! I'm totally happy to share my knowledge about Starcraft, and hopefully I'll have time to write some more guides in the future about Terran play. I've tried to get started a few times, but by the time I get into it, my ideas are already changed from the week before... can't ever get anything really started. But hopefully soon! Feel free to suggest topics for future posts/guides as well, whether they be Terran-specific or general game theory.
gLyo~!
Nick // Pokebunny
|
fear is such a weak emotion and that's why i despise it
|
lol the ladder fear part is me exactly I went 19-2 last season and probly played 250+ CGs for practice, im still trying to get over it..
|
finally somebody made a post that i can just copy the link to before i start laddering and then paste it every time i smell rage :D
|
Really well-written, I'm impressed with how good a grasp you have of the mental game at your age. I can definitely use some of these ideas - the 'number one key to getting better is to not find an excuse not to do it' especially really applies to me. Inspirational <3
|
On November 15 2011 05:11 Br3ezy wrote:
fear is such a weak emotion and that's why i despise it
Fear isn't a weak emotion, only a fool feels no fear.
|
Wauw, such a nice read, exactly what I've been searching for for weeks :p
|
Good post. I want to add one piece of advice that helped me TREMENDOUSLY in getting over "ladder fear":
Every loss (or losing streak) is not a permanent thing. If you lose 5 games in a row today, guess what? You are going to play easier people next time and get those wins back in the long run.
I came to that realization after seeing how streaky my play was. I'd often go on 5-10 game losing streaks followed by a similar win streak. The ladder is designed so that such things are common. Just remember if you are seeing one side of the coin now, will see the other shortly after 
|
On November 15 2011 05:11 Br3ezy wrote:
fear is such a weak emotion and that's why i despise it
Why oh why would you quote new lupe lyrics? off lasers really?I love lupe, but that album is so much worse than his other two its crazy, it makes me sick to hear songs like i dont wanna care right now from lupe. Its so poorly written compared to his other 2 albums! He lost all of his motivation and inspiration due to atlantic records ( or he just sold out, we will find out when his next album comes out).
OT: good guide, but i just dont agree with you. I dont think you can make a claim that the better player is the player who wins, its too black and white for a game like starcraft. Truth is, some strategies are just easier to execute than defend. Yeah i know at my level balance "shouldn't" be taken into account, but if two players at the same skill level in diamond/ low masters play and one players mistakes are less important due to racial differences, in what way is the game fair? I understand what you are going for, and its all in good faith, but its just unrealistic (at least in my always angry mind).
|
On November 15 2011 06:39 eFonSG wrote:Show nested quote +On November 15 2011 05:11 Br3ezy wrote:
fear is such a weak emotion and that's why i despise it Why oh why would you quote new lupe lyrics? off lasers really?I love lupe, but that album is so much worse than his other two its crazy, it makes me sick to hear songs like i dont wanna care right now from lupe. Its so poorly written compared to his other 2 albums! He lost all of his motivation and inspiration due to atlantic records ( or he just sold out, we will find out when his next album comes out). OT: good guide, but i just dont agree with you. I dont think you can make a claim that the better player is the player who wins, its too black and white for a game like starcraft. Truth is, some strategies are just easier to execute than defend. Yeah i know at my level balance "shouldn't" be taken into account, but if two players at the same skill level in diamond/ low masters play and one players mistakes are less important due to racial differences, in what way is the game fair? I understand what you are going for, and its all in good faith, but its just unrealistic (at least in my always angry mind).
But you're arbitrarily defining what it means to be good at the game. In the end, the only measure of a players skill is wins and losses. You are both playing within the same defined ruleset and you both have the same tools. Balance is not really relevant, because we have been given a ruleset we can't change, and therefore the better player is the one that wins under that ruleset. You can then make a good argument that the game is flawed, which may be true, but the definition of a good player at any game is to achieve your victory conditions more than everyone else. Sure some strategies might be easier to execute, but you can do them too - you have the same tools as your opponent, including your race selection.
|
great read! pokebunny fighting! ^^
|
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the mastery of it”
Great guide! I'm integrating the "empty cup" mindset in learning this game. I'm getting better with the ladder fear since I just click the "Find Match" button and telling myself that "I'm playing to have fun, to learn and to improve."
|
Pokebunny wrote this guide after he didn't get GM. JOKES ♥
|
|
|
On November 15 2011 06:47 Pokebunny wrote:Show nested quote +On November 15 2011 06:39 eFonSG wrote:On November 15 2011 05:11 Br3ezy wrote:
fear is such a weak emotion and that's why i despise it Why oh why would you quote new lupe lyrics? off lasers really?I love lupe, but that album is so much worse than his other two its crazy, it makes me sick to hear songs like i dont wanna care right now from lupe. Its so poorly written compared to his other 2 albums! He lost all of his motivation and inspiration due to atlantic records ( or he just sold out, we will find out when his next album comes out). OT: good guide, but i just dont agree with you. I dont think you can make a claim that the better player is the player who wins, its too black and white for a game like starcraft. Truth is, some strategies are just easier to execute than defend. Yeah i know at my level balance "shouldn't" be taken into account, but if two players at the same skill level in diamond/ low masters play and one players mistakes are less important due to racial differences, in what way is the game fair? I understand what you are going for, and its all in good faith, but its just unrealistic (at least in my always angry mind). But you're arbitrarily defining what it means to be good at the game. In the end, the only measure of a players skill is wins and losses. You are both playing within the same defined ruleset and you both have the same tools. Balance is not really relevant, because we have been given a ruleset we can't change, and therefore the better player is the one that wins under that ruleset. You can then make a good argument that the game is flawed, which may be true, but the definition of a good player at any game is to achieve your victory conditions more than everyone else. Sure some strategies might be easier to execute, but you can do them too - you have the same tools as your opponent, including your race selection.
I guess thats another way of looking at it, fair enough. The game is flawed then. And i dont know if defining a "good player" as a function on his wins is correct, but i dont think i really want to argue it. Also understand its very difficult for one post to just change my mindset, its very difficult for me to see this from the perspective your looking at it.
|
Pokebunny, great write up
I just want to highlight this
There's no omniscient god of skill that determines arbitrarily who the best player is - the best player is the one that wins most.
THIS x OVER 9000
Whenever an argument about cheese/skill/macro comes up, people fail to see this truth.
If someone were to play a suboptimal strategy, let's say the try to win on only making workers and zealots, no tech beyond Gateway. His opponent was playing a really easy, but effective strategy -- take stim timing. The stimmer wins. People will often say "that player's lame, he can't macro, all he does is cheese and all-in! This player was trying to go for a macro game which takes more skill"
I hope that extreme example is self-explanatory enough of what I'm trying to get at.
|
Nicely written Poke. Truer words trully can't be spoken. I may not be pro at sc2 but I have made thousands winning in tournaments of other games (specifically melee/brawl/iidx/ddr/itg) and this applies in every sense of the way to anything 'sports' like.
A TL;DR funny version of what you are describing is this.
Steps to success:
1. Choose something you love to do, not something that gives you something you want (love the game instead of loving to win).
2. Dedicate yourself to truly doing that thing (practice instead of whatever else it is you were going to do).
3. Never say that you can't do ____ and instead see rule #2. This step is made easier if step 1 was correctly followed.
Notice how there is no step that is all ?s. There is no ? about this.
|
On November 15 2011 07:25 vaderseven wrote:
Nicely written Poke. Truer words trully can't be spoken. I may not be pro at sc2 but I have made thousands winning in tournaments of other games (specifically melee/brawl/iidx/ddr/itg) and this applies in every sense of the way to anything 'sports' like.
A TL;DR funny version of what you are describing is this.
Steps to success:
1. Choose something you love to do, not something that gives you something you want (love the game instead of loving to win).
2. Dedicate yourself to truly doing that thing (practice instead of whatever else it is you were going to do).
3. Never say that you can't do ____ and instead see rule #2. This step is made easier if step 1 was correctly followed.
Notice how there is no step that is all ?s. There is no ? about this.
thousands? gj mate :D
|
Its amazing how much I can learn from this young man.
<3 You're awesome poke
|
Good job my bunny, you didn't think I'd read it, did you? :>
|
This is an awesome post Poke, much of which I share a similar mentality to when playing the game. Everyone should have this mindset for your Starcraft game, you will improve much faster and have more fun doing it.
Also have to say I was a complete newbie to competitive SC when I installed bw/iccup in 2009, but Teamliquid held the Coach-Pupil League, which helped me get from D (low 1000s) to C- (3000+) before SC2 came out. Pokebunny was one of the coaches on my team and I have to give him credit for being a Masters level player in SC2.
So thank you from a fellow Nick for this post and your help!
|
Thanks everyone I'm glad you like it. I was afraid it was a little too disorganized to be good to read, but it seems like people like it ^^
Haha thank you Sharon :>
|
I love this guide! ♥
It addresses everything not game related that could contribute to you losing more than you should or not playing enough. I especially liked the part about not telling yourself something CAN'T be done because I do that all the time!! If I lose a long macro game to a protoss because I couldn't EMP all of his HT or snipe his collosus or just didn't build enough of an army, I have gotten in the habit of telling myself that a late game protoss army isn't possible to beat with Terran bio.
Thank You Pokebunny!! ♥♥♥♥♥♥
|
@Tump/envision, you're welcome ^^
|
totally agree with everything said here. it's something what i advocate as well in my sc2 life lol.
|
i came into this thread expecting to not learn anything and be generally bored through reading the post and finding its flaws, then i looked at the poster
tl's own powerhouse wonderkid (the one that isnt named kolll)
much legitimacy was gained :D
edit: im a blind idiot ;3 great post poke :D still remember you from broodwar back when you were on...what was it mG? getting ready to transition over to sc2
|
A lot of great points, I made a similar post about Positive Mindset in Sc2. Keep it up
|
I gotta show this to some of my friends who suffer from insane ladder fear. I used to... then one day I just started playing lol.
|
I'm only in platinum and I never get angry because I know the reason I lose is because of my own, plentiful, mistakes. As long as I know that there is room to improve I will stay motivated, at least that is how I view it.
|
I was recently having a ton of trouble (as Z) dealing with protoss death balls and was raging hard as a result. I get extremely angry when I lose, but not because I think I should have won, but because I could have won.
Raging isn't necessarily a bad thing, as long as you can use it to be constructive. I went over my recent losses against protoss and I haven't lost a ZvP in 2 days.
This write-up is excellent, hope more people read.
|
On November 15 2011 06:19 Megabuster123 wrote:Show nested quote +On November 15 2011 05:11 Br3ezy wrote:
fear is such a weak emotion and that's why i despise it Fear isn't a weak emotion, only a fool feels no fear.
I don't feel fear on SC2 ladder that's for sure. And I'm not a fool. I'm a random masters player, not Nestea, what do I have to fear?
|
|
|
What helps me the most is remembering the speech White-Ra (my favorite player) gave in some documentary trailer I saw, I can't remember where I saw it at the moment but I have it memorized:
"When I starting play, I very disappointing and very sad after my lose. If you want to make one goal to win, you must lose you can't win all games. We are people, you make mistake you are not computer and if you understand your mistake when you lose you just can make analysis game and continue play and try to fix it and its no problem. More gg more skill."
As it turns out, I am not the best player in the world, once you accept this then the learning process can begin. Great post Poke, pure wisdom.
|
I've had issues not just with laddering, but with Starcraft in general. I'm a gold Terran and have suffered from probably all of these symptoms (ladder fear, confidence slumps, etc). In addition...actually I might categorize this under "oh I lost because..." but I've often felt like I have the worst mechanical (technical) problems.
By this, I mean that in addition to the game psyching me out, I suffer from (perceived) technological deficiencies that may in fact be real.
I have a macbook pro (>.<) and use a Logitech M505 wireless mouse with software that (I think) effectively disables mouse acceleration in my Starcraft application. But, I still have problems with mouse control. Every once in a while (at least once per game) my mouse jerks violently in one direction. This has many times resulted in a bad command and my exasperation. Overall, I don't have the control that I think I should have over mouse movement.
Also, for some reason, even when I save Starcraft replays from TL to my sc2 replays folder, I can't find them when I go in-game and try to watch.
====
Does anyone have advice for the guy who complains about his mouse? I've already tried a few things, and for the most part is working fine, but as I said above, it's sorta far from perfect. Maybe it isn't even a problem and I should get over it?
Great post, by the way. It feels great to read well written articles
|
+ Show Spoiler +The Mental Block
This more applies to higher level players, but it really can be incorporated anywhere. The mental block I'm talking about is the one where you've convinced yourself something CAN'T be done - whether it be you beating a certain player (fear of big names etc), dealing with a certain build or unit, convincing yourself that something is imbalanced, etc. You must always be positive about your own play, every problem has a solution, every build has a counter, every player has a weakness and can be beaten. Having a positive, open mindset is key to learning, and I see so many situations of high master/even pro players saying "damn, pro player X is so much better than me. there's nothing I can do to beat him." Never convince yourself that it can't be done or that you are incapable of doing something. Keep on fighting~! In a certain way, is this inspired by Idra?
Anyway besides that, this thread is really great. It rounds up all the other ones circulating in TL about getting better on ladder.
|
|
|
On November 15 2011 12:14 sorrowptoss wrote:+ Show Spoiler +The Mental Block
This more applies to higher level players, but it really can be incorporated anywhere. The mental block I'm talking about is the one where you've convinced yourself something CAN'T be done - whether it be you beating a certain player (fear of big names etc), dealing with a certain build or unit, convincing yourself that something is imbalanced, etc. You must always be positive about your own play, every problem has a solution, every build has a counter, every player has a weakness and can be beaten. Having a positive, open mindset is key to learning, and I see so many situations of high master/even pro players saying "damn, pro player X is so much better than me. there's nothing I can do to beat him." Never convince yourself that it can't be done or that you are incapable of doing something. Keep on fighting~! In a certain way, is this inspired by Idra? Anyway besides that, this thread is really great. It rounds up all the other ones circulating in TL about getting better on ladder.
It's inspired actually by my own experiences and talking to other pro players. However, IdrA is a great example of that.
On November 15 2011 12:08 Bulldog654 wrote:
What helps me the most is remembering the speech White-Ra (my favorite player) gave in some documentary trailer I saw, I can't remember where I saw it at the moment but I have it memorized:
"When I starting play, I very disappointing and very sad after my lose. If you want to make one goal to win, you must lose you can't win all games. We are people, you make mistake you are not computer and if you understand your mistake when you lose you just can make analysis game and continue play and try to fix it and its no problem. More gg more skill."
As it turns out, I am not the best player in the world, once you accept this then the learning process can begin. Great post Poke, pure wisdom.
Yep! Definitely a good piece of advice, and I love White-Ra english hahahaha. So fun~!
On November 15 2011 12:10 colonel66 wrote:I've had issues not just with laddering, but with Starcraft in general. I'm a gold Terran and have suffered from probably all of these symptoms (ladder fear, confidence slumps, etc). In addition...actually I might categorize this under "oh I lost because..." but I've often felt like I have the worst mechanical (technical) problems. By this, I mean that in addition to the game psyching me out, I suffer from (perceived) technological deficiencies that may in fact be real. I have a macbook pro (>.<) and use a Logitech M505 wireless mouse with software that (I think) effectively disables mouse acceleration in my Starcraft application. But, I still have problems with mouse control. Every once in a while (at least once per game) my mouse jerks violently in one direction. This has many times resulted in a bad command and my exasperation. Overall, I don't have the control that I think I should have over mouse movement. Also, for some reason, even when I save Starcraft replays from TL to my sc2 replays folder, I can't find them when I go in-game and try to watch. ==== Does anyone have advice for the guy who complains about his mouse? I've already tried a few things, and for the most part is working fine, but as I said above, it's sorta far from perfect. Maybe it isn't even a problem and I should get over it? Great post, by the way. It feels great to read well written articles
Do you have a friend who has a nicer computer/setup that you can try playing on, to see if it's more comfortable? Or possibly a LAN place/internet cafe that has computers you can try playing on?
Try playing mouse speed/accuracy training games on the internet if you're really suffering from being unable to quickly and accurately do what you want with your mouse.
|
Good write up. It is good to see the younger players in SC2 representing And showing their knowledge. Well done and keep working hard.
|
Thank you, great read!
The force is strong with this one.
|
PokeBunny is going to grow up to be the bestest motivational speaker evar.
<3
On November 15 2011 13:55 RxDamitol wrote:
Thank you, great read!
The force is strong with this one.
Quick, someone check his midichlorian count!
|
Glad I found this. I was about to search around for advice on getting rid of ladder fear. I'm a silver player, very serious about my play but I'm not too good as of now. It's annoying knowing that I have the ability to know what to do out of the game, but while I'm in game I just choke up and can't execute it. I know this gets better with practice but when you have no practice partners, or friends who play Starcraft ladder is really your only choice to practice, which is also very annoying while you have ladder fear.
I hate losing, losing is horrible, but I've been trying to realize lately that it's just ladder, nothing else, what does ladder mean? In my opinion I don't think that ladder would matter to anyone until they get to Masters or GM, unless you're a professional player, then ladder ranking literally means nothing to you at all.
Great read, thoroughly enjoyed it!
|
Very good write-up, quite inspiring.
On November 15 2011 05:11 Br3ezy wrote:
fear is such a weak emotion and that's why i despise it
Reminds me of this :
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
Muad-Dib, Dune, Frank Herbert.
This mantra has helped me so much throughout my life, and is still helping me overcoming my ladder fear.
|
well written agree on everything. Sadly it's very hard for me to not get frustrated and mad after multiply loses.
|
I've been stuck in plat for like forever and have been on the verge of giving up sc2 completely many times but now and then a thread like this comes up and im inspired to work hard again. GJ mate 
|
I am very impressed by the fact that a 16 year old wrote this. I´m 32 myself.
Must say that i´m also quite afraid of the ladder. I´ve been diamond since the Beta and I think that my fear of getting demoted to platinum has been a far greater force than my motivation of becoming a master league player. It´s pathetic. I have a total of over 4000 custom games and they havent gone bad at all, I often beat diamonds/masters. But even if I win - the feeling of having given in to fear again and playing custom games kind of takes my joy of winning down a notch or two. But tonight I'm going to get over this big ugly, cloaked in excuses, obstacle and play some ladder!
Thank you for giving the the strength PokeBunny!
|
Poke I was a big fan before this post. Now Im a huge fan! Thanks for this post! Great stuff!
Poke Fighting!
Question: in terms of General practice, when you are to focusing on anything special. Do you choose to ladder or play with sparring partners?
|
On November 15 2011 21:53 Ahelvin wrote:Very good write-up, quite inspiring. Show nested quote +On November 15 2011 05:11 Br3ezy wrote:
fear is such a weak emotion and that's why i despise it Reminds me of this : I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain. Muad-Dib, Dune, Frank Herbert. This mantra has helped me so much throughout my life, and is still helping me overcoming my ladder fear.
Thanks on that quote, helped me open up my mind again.
I always find it so refreshing when somone comes with something simple, yet highly inspiring, and reminds me that I don't have to overthink and sometimes, it just about acceptance and reaction.
Thanks a lot for this thread, pokebunny!
|
Thanks for the write up :D I generaly psych myself out of laddering whic ends up keeping me in bronze vs where I could be cause i do take quite a bit of pride in my abilities lol. Those abilities being that I know generally all the in game counters and strats for my race (which is zerg) but because I psych myself out I tend to suffer cause of it. So this should help me tremendously
|
|
|
On November 16 2011 04:12 rEalGuapo wrote:
Edit: Just thought it over and wanted to delete this post.
Now I'm really curious 
|
Wise words from a wise kid
|
thanks for the article. Telling me a bunch of things that I already know, but refuse to actually admit to myself that I should do. Always helpful when I hear it from a great player, makes it harder for me to deny the truth!
|
On November 15 2011 12:10 colonel66 wrote:
I have a macbook pro (>.<) and use a Logitech M505 wireless mouse with software that (I think) effectively disables mouse acceleration in my Starcraft application. But, I still have problems with mouse control. Every once in a while (at least once per game) my mouse jerks violently in one direction. This has many times resulted in a bad command and my exasperation. Overall, I don't have the control that I think I should have over mouse movement.
I have a Macbook Pro as a secondary computer, I think it would be wise to look into dual booting Windows for playing Starcraft 2, in Mac Operating Systems, mouse control is really weird and has always been one of my problems with gaming on a Mac. I have Windows 7 also installed though, so if I have to play SC2 on my MPB I just rock that.
Also, once you have a mouse you enjoy, google for recommended DPI and other settings. The standard in Windows for setting mouse speed is the 6th line, so all you really need to do is download the mouse setup program for your specific mouse, find a good setup for DPI/mouse specific settings, and last by not least your in-game mouse sensitivity. The in-game Keyboard/Mouse/Drag scroll are pretty important too, so once everything is setup these are the last things you most likely want to change based on your own personal preferences.
|
On November 15 2011 06:19 Megabuster123 wrote:Show nested quote +On November 15 2011 05:11 Br3ezy wrote:
fear is such a weak emotion and that's why i despise it Fear isn't a weak emotion, only a fool feels no fear.
"Coughing" My space marines.. would like a word with you..
And a great read, I usually come up with excuses over actual fear xd
Edit-A very easy way to inspire yourself "without the stupid quotes, you dont need them to be inspired"
Watch major casters like Husky/Day9, Day9 very much so, very funny guy and quite smart about starcraft.
|
Thanks poke...really needed that bit on confidence.
|
I agree to everything except the "don't watch your own replays" thing, because it's often times similar mistakes you're making (not producing workers when you should, having idle production facilities, idle larvae although you have supply and money, having missrallied units around the map, ...
|
Hooooly :O
Nick, you have helped me out so much and I'm so glad that you made this guide because I know that a lot of people suffer the same way I do while playing. I really like the way you tackle the game mentally and I think that's part of what makes you such a good player. I really think you should copy+paste this onto reddit as well because there's a large audience there. Definitely continue making these guides man--your writing is very mature. thXyo
|
On November 16 2011 05:10 Pokebunny wrote:Show nested quote +On November 16 2011 04:12 rEalGuapo wrote:
Edit: Just thought it over and wanted to delete this post. Now I'm really curious
Well, I was in rage mode yesterday since I came home, read this guide and thought "well I know I shouldn't play this tired, if I lose because I'm tired it really pisses me off"
Maybe you know that. You are tired know you will play like shit and do it anyways. You then lose due to something incredible stupid.
For me it was PvP and I got supply blocked at 18!!! (I'm mid Master) I lost the game right there against a 4Gate. I thought "OK just keep cool and continue" Well it didn't get any better from there.
So is there actually a point in playing under bad conditions? I ruined my stats and motiviation, I am not going to play today because I fucking hate SC2 right now.
Your Guide was meant to motivate me and that only worked for an hour or something but this hour demotivated me for at least the rest of the week. So, why should I play if I know I will just play 2 leagues worse than I am!?
Also in that post before I was formulating it a little more emotionally, don't want to show bad manners on TL though, hence the Edit.
|
On November 16 2011 21:55 Morghaine wrote:
I agree to everything except the "don't watch your own replays" thing, because it's often times similar mistakes you're making (not producing workers when you should, having idle production facilities, idle larvae although you have supply and money, having missrallied units around the map, ...
If you keep that in mind every game, you don't need to watch the replay, just work on your mechanics to tab these buildings as much as possible. And you will get better at producing workers/units. Those are the things you really don't need replays for.
|
I was inspired to write this as I shared some of my advice with another 16 year old grandmaster player from local LANs (SolidPyre) and realized how much I actually know about how to make yourself perform in this game.
LOL I missed that the first time I read it, you put me in the spotlight there :}
|
On November 16 2011 21:55 Morghaine wrote:
I agree to everything except the "don't watch your own replays" thing, because it's often times similar mistakes you're making (not producing workers when you should, having idle production facilities, idle larvae although you have supply and money, having missrallied units around the map, ...
Well, that's true, but only to a certain extent. You'll be able to notice obvious mistakes, but for me, those are motly mistakes that I woul also notice in game. You can try watching all your replays, and if that's a good way for you to learn, then go for it - everyone learns differently.
|
i appreciate ur work alot. u seem to be a very nice person even when u get cheesed (cheesed u several times^^). really like ur personality
edit you are "pokebuni" right?^^
|
On November 17 2011 01:50 Bad_Habit wrote:
i appreciate ur work alot. u seem to be a very nice person even when u get cheesed (cheesed u several times^^). really like ur personality
edit you are "pokebuni" right?^^
Yes, I'm GoSuPokebuni.
Yep :p Something I pride myself in is never having left a game without a gg, and no rage to my opponent! (Friendly joking excluded :D)
|
i wished i would have that ability :D
i always rage when i lose, specialy to a huge blunder i made, then i rage even more to the oponnent :D
|
Poke, How do you like to practice? Mass laddering or sparring partners. Does yoru decision to do either matter if you are working on a certain build or new strat?
|
Ty poke, i used to be a person that raged about collossi. After reading this post i went practicing and realised that the easiest way to beat it is to have fun.
Pokebunny fighting~
|
On November 17 2011 06:28 EndOfLine wrote:
Poke, How do you like to practice? Mass laddering or sparring partners. Does yoru decision to do either matter if you are working on a certain build or new strat?
Hmm. I don't really have a ton of time to play, so I ladder more than practice partners, but I do both. When I want to test stuff out I usually do it with friends.
|
On November 17 2011 00:16 rEalGuapo wrote:Show nested quote +On November 16 2011 05:10 Pokebunny wrote:On November 16 2011 04:12 rEalGuapo wrote:
Edit: Just thought it over and wanted to delete this post. Now I'm really curious Well, I was in rage mode yesterday since I came home, read this guide and thought "well I know I shouldn't play this tired, if I lose because I'm tired it really pisses me off" Maybe you know that. You are tired know you will play like shit and do it anyways. You then lose due to something incredible stupid. For me it was PvP and I got supply blocked at 18!!! (I'm mid Master) I lost the game right there against a 4Gate. I thought "OK just keep cool and continue" Well it didn't get any better from there. So is there actually a point in playing under bad conditions? I ruined my stats and motiviation, I am not going to play today because I fucking hate SC2 right now. Your Guide was meant to motivate me and that only worked for an hour or something but this hour demotivated me for at least the rest of the week. So, why should I play if I know I will just play 2 leagues worse than I am!? Also in that post before I was formulating it a little more emotionally, don't want to show bad manners on TL though, hence the Edit.
So is it useful to play if you know you will hardcore underperform due to e.g. lack of sleep?
|
I couldn't agree more with this.
Right now what's keeping me from improving is a mix between me thinking all my opponents suck and extreme frustration. Whenever I lose I get all pissed off and I stop playing for hours, even if it is a simple loss after 30 victories (I'm overexagerating ofcourse).
Learning to deal with your emotions and control them is the hardest thing for me on SC yet.
|
On November 15 2011 12:02 IPA wrote:Show nested quote +On November 15 2011 06:19 Megabuster123 wrote:On November 15 2011 05:11 Br3ezy wrote:
fear is such a weak emotion and that's why i despise it Fear isn't a weak emotion, only a fool feels no fear. I don't feel fear on SC2 ladder that's for sure. And I'm not a fool. I'm a random masters player, not Nestea, what do I have to fear?
I don't think that was meant in the context of sc2... and fear is a very good emotion depending on how you react to it.
|
|
|
Wooo thanks Pokebunny ^^.
|
probably the best written article on TL atm, keep it up young padawan!
|
On November 17 2011 07:40 rEalGuapo wrote:Show nested quote +On November 17 2011 00:16 rEalGuapo wrote:On November 16 2011 05:10 Pokebunny wrote:On November 16 2011 04:12 rEalGuapo wrote:
Edit: Just thought it over and wanted to delete this post. Now I'm really curious Well, I was in rage mode yesterday since I came home, read this guide and thought "well I know I shouldn't play this tired, if I lose because I'm tired it really pisses me off" Maybe you know that. You are tired know you will play like shit and do it anyways. You then lose due to something incredible stupid. For me it was PvP and I got supply blocked at 18!!! (I'm mid Master) I lost the game right there against a 4Gate. I thought "OK just keep cool and continue" Well it didn't get any better from there. So is there actually a point in playing under bad conditions? I ruined my stats and motiviation, I am not going to play today because I fucking hate SC2 right now. Your Guide was meant to motivate me and that only worked for an hour or something but this hour demotivated me for at least the rest of the week. So, why should I play if I know I will just play 2 leagues worse than I am!? Also in that post before I was formulating it a little more emotionally, don't want to show bad manners on TL though, hence the Edit. So is it useful to play if you know you will hardcore underperform due to e.g. lack of sleep?
Practice/with friends sure, if you care about ladder. If you don't care about ladder then yeah, but only if you want! Have fun, but don't just always find silly reasons not to play.
|
Outstanding write-up. Really addresses a lot of points that aren't brought up in a ton of tutorials and stuff around the internet.
|
eFonSG: Referring to your page 1 post; i have to say this is the most enlightend post i have seen on the internet. I have to say I am impressed that you are not afraid to admit that it is hard for you to change perspective, and while you maintain your opinion you give pokebunny's post some viability, even if you do not agree completely. more people should be in your mindset, too many people dismiss ideas just because it doesn't fit into their immediate mindset. Good for you.
@Pokebunny: Great post, just sad it got downvoted some on reddit, but i have to say this is the coolest thing i have read coming from a teenager. For sure, I have to say I would not, even if i could have written this post, be able to reply in such a cool-headed and decent manner. When I was your age i was quite literally all rage -.-' Well to be honest, I blame the environment, but still, great post from what is obviously a great mind developing into a superb one. Kudos.
|
Russian Federation3 Posts
|
The beginning of the thread it states that you are a top player as well as streamer. Before you made this claim you said you were a D on ICCUP so I would imagine and by comprehending this thread that you have built some confidence in yourself.
I follow GSL and all live LAN events spanning even to BW but I'm not familiar with who you are.
For me this thread didn't shed much light on anything but gave some insight as to who you are. Apparently young, and proud of your accomplishments whatever they may be. But most of the advice you had given is individually intrinsic to yourself. That's not to say that people haven't gotten anything from this thread but to each his own.
I believe anyone involved in anything can become quite good with the proper practice, and everyone who has the determination to improve will look inside themselves and find what they need to get over their problems. A long time ago a Korean pro gamer when I was very young told me "No lose no learn". Which is a strong point that I like. This to me seems like more of an inspiration thread. Something for when people are down they can use.
|
On November 15 2011 06:19 Megabuster123 wrote:Show nested quote +On November 15 2011 05:11 Br3ezy wrote:
fear is such a weak emotion and that's why i despise it Fear isn't a weak emotion, only a fool feels no fear.
Darn straight. Fools do not have fear. Brave men face that fear.
|
On December 08 2011 13:00 inamorato wrote:
The beginning of the thread it states that you are a top player as well as streamer. Before you made this claim you said you were a D on ICCUP so I would imagine and by comprehending this thread that you have built some confidence in yourself.
I follow GSL and all live LAN events spanning even to BW but I'm not familiar with who you are.
For me this thread didn't shed much light on anything but gave some insight as to who you are. Apparently young, and proud of your accomplishments whatever they may be. But most of the advice you had given is individually intrinsic to yourself. That's not to say that people haven't gotten anything from this thread but to each his own.
I believe anyone involved in anything can become quite good with the proper practice, and everyone who has the determination to improve will look inside themselves and find what they need to get over their problems. A long time ago a Korean pro gamer when I was very young told me "No lose no learn". Which is a strong point that I like. This to me seems like more of an inspiration thread. Something for when people are down they can use.
He is Gosu Pokebunny, best player in NYC by far and a fairly good pro. How could you not know of the Pokebunny Allowance Cup or the Perfect-Pokebunny grudgematch?
|
On December 08 2011 13:19 AnachronisticAnarchy wrote:Show nested quote +On December 08 2011 13:00 inamorato wrote:
The beginning of the thread it states that you are a top player as well as streamer. Before you made this claim you said you were a D on ICCUP so I would imagine and by comprehending this thread that you have built some confidence in yourself.
I follow GSL and all live LAN events spanning even to BW but I'm not familiar with who you are.
For me this thread didn't shed much light on anything but gave some insight as to who you are. Apparently young, and proud of your accomplishments whatever they may be. But most of the advice you had given is individually intrinsic to yourself. That's not to say that people haven't gotten anything from this thread but to each his own.
I believe anyone involved in anything can become quite good with the proper practice, and everyone who has the determination to improve will look inside themselves and find what they need to get over their problems. A long time ago a Korean pro gamer when I was very young told me "No lose no learn". Which is a strong point that I like. This to me seems like more of an inspiration thread. Something for when people are down they can use. He is Gosu Pokebunny, best player in NYC by far and a fairly good pro. How could you not know of the Pokebunny Allowance Cup or the Perfect-Pokebunny grudgematch?
Well I'm quite sorry that I am not familiar with each states top professionals. Because as is, American professionalism in terms of performance as a whole, is of ill repute.
|
On December 09 2011 07:28 inamorato wrote:Show nested quote +On December 08 2011 13:19 AnachronisticAnarchy wrote:On December 08 2011 13:00 inamorato wrote:
The beginning of the thread it states that you are a top player as well as streamer. Before you made this claim you said you were a D on ICCUP so I would imagine and by comprehending this thread that you have built some confidence in yourself.
I follow GSL and all live LAN events spanning even to BW but I'm not familiar with who you are.
For me this thread didn't shed much light on anything but gave some insight as to who you are. Apparently young, and proud of your accomplishments whatever they may be. But most of the advice you had given is individually intrinsic to yourself. That's not to say that people haven't gotten anything from this thread but to each his own.
I believe anyone involved in anything can become quite good with the proper practice, and everyone who has the determination to improve will look inside themselves and find what they need to get over their problems. A long time ago a Korean pro gamer when I was very young told me "No lose no learn". Which is a strong point that I like. This to me seems like more of an inspiration thread. Something for when people are down they can use. He is Gosu Pokebunny, best player in NYC by far and a fairly good pro. How could you not know of the Pokebunny Allowance Cup or the Perfect-Pokebunny grudgematch? Well I'm quite sorry that I am not familiar with each states top professionals. Because as is, American professionalism in terms of performance as a whole, is of ill repute.
Well I've been to four MLGs knocking out players such as LiquidSheth, IMFenix, coLrsvp, won showmatches/tournament games vs many top players, qualified as one of eight Americans for IEM New York, have been featured stream on TL for a year.. etc.
|
Your pretty savvy for a 16 year old. I'm thoroughly impressed. Good thread, good read.
|
On December 09 2011 09:22 Pokebunny wrote:Show nested quote +On December 09 2011 07:28 inamorato wrote:On December 08 2011 13:19 AnachronisticAnarchy wrote:On December 08 2011 13:00 inamorato wrote:
The beginning of the thread it states that you are a top player as well as streamer. Before you made this claim you said you were a D on ICCUP so I would imagine and by comprehending this thread that you have built some confidence in yourself.
I follow GSL and all live LAN events spanning even to BW but I'm not familiar with who you are.
For me this thread didn't shed much light on anything but gave some insight as to who you are. Apparently young, and proud of your accomplishments whatever they may be. But most of the advice you had given is individually intrinsic to yourself. That's not to say that people haven't gotten anything from this thread but to each his own.
I believe anyone involved in anything can become quite good with the proper practice, and everyone who has the determination to improve will look inside themselves and find what they need to get over their problems. A long time ago a Korean pro gamer when I was very young told me "No lose no learn". Which is a strong point that I like. This to me seems like more of an inspiration thread. Something for when people are down they can use. He is Gosu Pokebunny, best player in NYC by far and a fairly good pro. How could you not know of the Pokebunny Allowance Cup or the Perfect-Pokebunny grudgematch? Well I'm quite sorry that I am not familiar with each states top professionals. Because as is, American professionalism in terms of performance as a whole, is of ill repute. Well I've been to four MLGs knocking out players such as LiquidSheth, IMFenix, coLrsvp, won showmatches/tournament games vs many top players, qualified as one of eight Americans for IEM New York, have been featured stream on TL for a year.. etc.
I apologize if my standards for what a top tier player differs from yours. I believe you won show matches.I even believe you won against the players you named, but it wasn't in pool play or the late rounds of winners bracket so me not being familiar with who you are isn't a form of disrespect.
I've been around the competitive RTS scene since it began and my primary focus has always been the Korean leagues. Now that Star2 is out, and Koreans aren't governed by Kespa allowing them to come to MLG I would consider it a reputable tournament.
I'm happy for your accomplishments. I have no reason not to be, but as far as you dangling them around in this thread still means nothing to me. Success is subjective and my opinion of RTS success isn't qualifying for a tournament, or beating a few good players in a best of 3. But for you all that should really matter is where you hold yourself. If you're proud of yourself as a player or a person that is all that should matter.
|
|
|
Enough with this type of thread. Less reading more action.
Sorry, I forgot TL SC 2 strategy section has turned into some sort of philosophical and psychological class.
|
On December 09 2011 10:34 DontLoseSightOfIt wrote:
Enough with this type of thread. Less reading more action.
Sorry, I forgot TL SC 2 strategy section has turned into some sort of philosophical and psychological class.
Isn't that what strategy's about? SC2 is a mind game IMO.
|
The problem with these kinds of motivational topics which bring up laddering fear is that they don't really help. It's easy to say "Well, if I don't play, I don't get better, so ladder fear is stupid", but the thing about ladder fear is that it's irrational, you can't really fix it just by deciding that it's detrimental. Most people who have it, including myself, already know that it's dumb and that games don't mean anything, but again, it's irrational. If we could "just stop feeling it", we would.
It's not really about points or league though, at least for me. My problem is that I get extremely stressed, hand shaking etc because I HATE losing. I don't care if I lose points or if I'm taken down a league, it's just the very basic fact that I lost in itself. It's irrational since it doesn't even matter if I have a valid excuse (he's much better than me, he cheesed me and got lucky, I played bad because I'm tired etc), I still get noticeably depressed by every single loss. One could say that as you gett better and get into better leagues, your win rate should become 50% regardless, so why play if you can't stand losing? And that's exactly it, I stopped played 1v1 alltogether because I hate losing. That's why I play CoD on 360 with my clan, because we almost never lose. We might get challanged, by meeting another clan for example, but we lose very rarely if we actually try to win.
The way I started playing 1v1 again was by force. I made a bet with a guy I used to be much better than that if I could beat him in a bo7, he would change his name into something stupid on b.net, and if he won, I had to play 1v1 every day to make up for my suckage. I trained quite hard to get a good build vs protoss and he still won 4-1. No choice, and now I do play 1v1 every day. Summary: I don't think you can rationalize away your fear of laddering, you simply have to force yourself to play over and over and face it. Eventually, it should, hopefully, disappear.
|
great write up! thanks for you effort!
|
On December 09 2011 18:04 Neverplay wrote:
great write up! thanks for you effort!
Your name feels relevant to the topic
On topic: its quite interesting to read your point of view and the fact that you don't rely on replays so much but the biggest takeaway for me - that nearly everybody should follow for nearly everything - is:
Just do it and play, losing does not make you worse as a person.
|
Excellent advice on the practice part. I will try that tonight.
|
On November 15 2011 04:57 Pokebunny wrote:
Confidence and Slumps
Everyone has had those days where nothing seems to go right. You're messing up your build order, missing all your injects/warpins/timings, and every build you do seems to be countered by your opponent.
One common mistake I see in these situations is defeatism. The first step in continuing to improve is, as I said before, no fear of failure. You need to be confident in your abilities - you ARE a good player, you did deserve that rank and all those wins you got on your way up. Just play your best, go for wins however you can - if you need to pull out a cheesy strategy to keep your confidence up, go for it! It's all part of the game, and no matter what happens, you won because you outplayed your opponent in the game that you are provided. There's no omniscient god of skill that determines arbitrarily who the best player is - the best player is the one that wins most.
Another problem is the opposite extreme - convincing yourself that you're better than everyone you beat, and refusing to accept losses as your opponent playing better than you. This again ties into fear of failure, and both extremes are equally likely to cause a player to get frustrated and stop playing. You need to recognize that every win and every loss is valid, every game is won by the player who played better. Especially in Starcraft 2 where the game is constantly shifting and developing and there's no true standard, any way to win is a valid one within the confines of the battlefield. Get in the habit of being positive about your own play and the play of your opponents - after you lose a long macro game, instead of saying "wow, that's such bullshit, protoss is so imba in macro games imba colossi" etc etc, you should try to be positive about both your opponent's play and yours. "Wow, my opponent really protected his colossi well and made a good unit composition, what could I have done to beat that? My macro was a bit lacking but it's improving, and I should've used my vikings better" is much better. You will find yourself being much more friendly to yourself and other players if you just assume both players are playing WELL rather than one using imbalance/bullshit or yourself/your opponent just being terrible.
Getting out of slumps just requires you to be patient and relax. Recognize that you will always lose games and win games, and soon enough you'll be winning. If you're really getting frustrated in an unproductive way and you find yourself being really negative, just get off the computer, go work out, take a shower, run around, find something else to do for a while. Keeping a positive mindset about your own play and the game will make it SO much more motivating, fun, and rewarding for you to play and succeed.
gLyo~!
Nick // Pokebunny
Very well written, especially for someone still in high school. The american education system isn't a complete failure.
Anyway, what I bolded really rings true for me. Both in my self and the opponents I play, this mentality of "I'm better than my opponent, they only won because X" is a real problem in this community. I sometimes struggle with accepting losses where I know I was at an advantage, or when I lose one game to someone I know I would beat 4 out of 5 times, this was just that 1/5th of the time. I think a lot of it has to do with ego, and I think I (and the community) need to take myself less seriously.
|
On November 15 2011 05:11 Br3ezy wrote:
fear is such a weak emotion and that's why i despise it
Fear creates Adrenaline .. Adrenaline is Fuggin owesome!
You need to re-assess some of your thoughts on fear. I'm sure it helped us evolve.
OH AND GREAT POST POKE!! Ox)
|
On December 09 2011 17:31 Tobberoth wrote:
The problem with these kinds of motivational topics which bring up laddering fear is that they don't really help. It's easy to say "Well, if I don't play, I don't get better, so ladder fear is stupid", but the thing about ladder fear is that it's irrational, you can't really fix it just by deciding that it's detrimental. Most people who have it, including myself, already know that it's dumb and that games don't mean anything, but again, it's irrational. If we could "just stop feeling it", we would.
It's not really about points or league though, at least for me. My problem is that I get extremely stressed, hand shaking etc because I HATE losing. I don't care if I lose points or if I'm taken down a league, it's just the very basic fact that I lost in itself. It's irrational since it doesn't even matter if I have a valid excuse (he's much better than me, he cheesed me and got lucky, I played bad because I'm tired etc), I still get noticeably depressed by every single loss. One could say that as you gett better and get into better leagues, your win rate should become 50% regardless, so why play if you can't stand losing? And that's exactly it, I stopped played 1v1 alltogether because I hate losing. That's why I play CoD on 360 with my clan, because we almost never lose. We might get challanged, by meeting another clan for example, but we lose very rarely if we actually try to win.
The way I started playing 1v1 again was by force. I made a bet with a guy I used to be much better than that if I could beat him in a bo7, he would change his name into something stupid on b.net, and if he won, I had to play 1v1 every day to make up for my suckage. I trained quite hard to get a good build vs protoss and he still won 4-1. No choice, and now I do play 1v1 every day. Summary: I don't think you can rationalize away your fear of laddering, you simply have to force yourself to play over and over and face it. Eventually, it should, hopefully, disappear.
The moment you stop caring about winning is the moment you stop fearing the ladder.
|
On December 15 2011 07:01 HyTex wrote:Show nested quote +On December 09 2011 17:31 Tobberoth wrote:
The problem with these kinds of motivational topics which bring up laddering fear is that they don't really help. It's easy to say "Well, if I don't play, I don't get better, so ladder fear is stupid", but the thing about ladder fear is that it's irrational, you can't really fix it just by deciding that it's detrimental. Most people who have it, including myself, already know that it's dumb and that games don't mean anything, but again, it's irrational. If we could "just stop feeling it", we would.
It's not really about points or league though, at least for me. My problem is that I get extremely stressed, hand shaking etc because I HATE losing. I don't care if I lose points or if I'm taken down a league, it's just the very basic fact that I lost in itself. It's irrational since it doesn't even matter if I have a valid excuse (he's much better than me, he cheesed me and got lucky, I played bad because I'm tired etc), I still get noticeably depressed by every single loss. One could say that as you gett better and get into better leagues, your win rate should become 50% regardless, so why play if you can't stand losing? And that's exactly it, I stopped played 1v1 alltogether because I hate losing. That's why I play CoD on 360 with my clan, because we almost never lose. We might get challanged, by meeting another clan for example, but we lose very rarely if we actually try to win.
The way I started playing 1v1 again was by force. I made a bet with a guy I used to be much better than that if I could beat him in a bo7, he would change his name into something stupid on b.net, and if he won, I had to play 1v1 every day to make up for my suckage. I trained quite hard to get a good build vs protoss and he still won 4-1. No choice, and now I do play 1v1 every day. Summary: I don't think you can rationalize away your fear of laddering, you simply have to force yourself to play over and over and face it. Eventually, it should, hopefully, disappear. The moment you stop caring about winning is the moment you stop fearing the ladder.
Don't stop caring about winning. Just stop caring about losing. If you don't care about winning, then there is no incentive to improve. You should be proud of your wins and winning should feel good! After all that's why we play this game.
I think what you are getting at though is a change of goals. Focus each game on specific goals, and you will find that even if you lose, as long as you complete your pre-planned goal, you will feel much better and even have a drive to play ladder.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT
